Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk

“Does it feel good?” Caspen asked quietly. She looked up at him, and with a rush of epiphany, she saw he was hard again. Not all the way, like before, but he was partially raised, and Tem knew she had caused it. “Yes,” she whispered. They stared at each other for a long time, Tem…

“Someone wants you.” Her mother’s voice tore Tem from her trance. “What?” “I said, someone wants you.” Her mother pointed to the end of their pew, where Gabriel was waving at her. “Oh. Right.” The hymn was over. People were beginning to leave. Tem stood with the rest of the crowd, filing toward the aisle,…

“He told me that I’m the prince’s type. Apparently, he wants a curvy girl.” Vera’s eyes raked snidely over Tem. “A girl like me.” Tem felt her anger flare. “Caspen said that I-“ “Caspen?” Vera hissed, her face pinched with sudden jealousy. “He told you his name? Mine didn’t tell me his. He didn’t even…

“Sit down.” He gestured at the rock ledge behind her. “And spread your legs.” She did so. The moment her knees parted, Caspen’s jaw tightened. Up until now, his gaze had been detached, almost unfeeling. Now his eyes glowed brightly, lit with raw intensity. He kneeled suddenly in front of her, leaning forward and closing…

“No.” Caspen shook his head, his voice a shadow of a breath. “You first.” Tem was so close, she couldn’t protest. If that was what he wanted, she would gladly give it to him. So she looked up at him, feeling the swell of inevitability grow, unable to resist the wave that was about to…

“No,” she whispered, the word a pebble in a pond. Caspen smiled fully, baring his teeth. “That is good,” he said. “It means there are no bad habits to unlearn.” Tem nodded, although she didn’t quite believe him. She couldn’t imagine it was better to have no experience at all. And yet basilisks couldn’t lie-they…

“You seriously can’t go two weeks without kissing a stable boy?” Tem said. Gabriel laughed. “I could. But why would I want to?” She had no answer to that. By the time they got to the Horseman, Tem was aching for a drink. The bar was busier than usual, which wasn’t a surprise. The entire…

The next morning dawned like any other. Tem went about her chores, delivering her eggs and helping her mother in the kitchen just as she always did. But in the back of her mind was the constant knowledge that in less than twelve hours, she would be face-to-face with a basilisk. By the time evening…

“It is our job to prepare you for that honor.” His eyes flicked over them, and Tem flinched when they landed on her. “Proceed to your caves.” Nobody moved. How were they supposed to know which cave was theirs? They awaited further instruction, but the basilisk didn’t speak again. To Tem’s satisfaction, even Vera looked…

“You’ll never guess what happened to me last night,” Vera whispered. Tem sighed. She had come to the bakery to deliver eggs and had gotten gossip instead. It was always that way with Vera. “What happened?” she asked. Vera leaned over the counter so only Tem could hear. “Jonathan took me under the bridge.” Tem’s…